Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir: Last surviving member of The Four Tops dies

Abdul “Duke” Fakir, the last surviving member of beloved Motown group The Four Tops, has passed away at the age of 88.

He died at his home in Detroit from heart failure, his family confirmed on Monday.

The Four Tops became one of the best-known bands of the Motown era after forming in the late 1950s.

The group is known for classic hits such as Reach Out I’ll Be There, Baby I Need Your Loving and I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).

“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a trailblazer, icon and music legend who, through his 70-year music career, touched the lives of so many as he continued to tour until the end of 2023, and officially retired this year,” his family said in a statement.

“As the last living founding member of the iconic The Four Tops music group, we find solace in Duke’s legacy living on through his music for generations to come.”

The four members of the group, Fakir, Levi Stubbs, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton formed in the late 1950s but did not find success until the early 1960s.

They continued to play together as a group until Payton’s death in 1997. Benson and Stubbs died in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

When they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, artist Stevie Wonder praised their skills.

“The things I love about them the most – they are very professional, they have fun with what they do, they are very loving, they have always been gentlemen,” he said.

Fakir, the child of Ethiopian and Bangladeshi immigrants, lived in Detroit his entire life and grew up in a dangerous neighbourhood there, according to the Associated Press.

“[O]nce we started singing, our whole perspective of life changed,” Fakir said in a 2022 interview with The Detroit News.

“We just started looking at the beauty of life and travelling and being able to sing to the world and making people happy.”

Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, singer Smokey Robinson addressed the death of his longtime friend.

“My brother, I really hate to have to say goodbye, but you’ve been called home by the Father to once again join Lawrence, Obie and Levi and make more of the heavenly music you guys made while here,” Robinson said.

“I’m going to miss you, my brother.”

In 2022, Fakir released a memoir, I’ll Be There: My Life With the Four Tops.

He is survived by his wife, six children, 13 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.